Standing Light Punch gives Balrog a lot of advantage on hit, allowing him to combo into sweep and even Ultra 1.

Crouching Light Punch is one of the best normal moves in the game due to its speed and frame advantage on block or hit. This makes comboing and creating air-tight block strings easier than it is with most other characters.

Jumping Light Punch looks almost identical to his jumping fierce punch. Use this to confuse opponents that are blocking, and throw them after they block the light punch.

STRONG (MEDIUM) PUNCH

Close Standing Medium Punch can act as an anti-air, but don't rely on it.

Use Crouching Medium Punch to set up one of Balrog's dash punches (if you have charge, it will combo into a dash punch), or after a succesful overhead punch and link it to a headbutt.

FIERCE (HARD) PUNCH

Crouching Heavy Punch is Balrog's go-to anti-air move. It has very little risk and stops most jump in attacks.

You can control Balrog in the air when you use Neutral Jump Heavy Punch, making it useful in a number of different situations.

Diagonal Jumping Heavy Punch also has a lot of range and active frames. If you feel pressured, just jump back and use this baby. Sometimes overly-aggressive attackers will rush into his fist. This move can also punish certain whiffed moves like Zangief's lariat from the right distance.

SHORT (LIGHT) KICK

Typically, Crouching Light Kick is the move that every special comes after. For most player's, it's generally prefered to use Crouching Light Kick to link into specials because most of Balrog's specials are performed with punches, freeing up space to use whichever level of punch is required (jab, strong, fierce). Also, because Crouching Light Kick is a low, sometimes it will catch opponent's who are blocking high (Balrog lacks a multiple low setups, therefore opponent's can block high for the most part).

FORWARD (MEDIUM) KICK

Crouching Medium Kickis a low that Balrog can combo from (use Crouching Light Kick after it), and it might catch opponents off-guard if you whiff a move in the air and immediately go for this low. This can also be used as a meaty normal to continue the pressure.

ROUNDHOUSE (HARD) KICK

Crouching Heavy Kick is one of the best sweeps in the game due to its speed and range. If you are within distance of your opponent, and you are both waiting for the other to do something, throw this out randomly. It catches a lot of players if used randomly in a footsie battle.

Jumping Heavy Kick is also a good pressure tool. It hits at an angle that allows Balrog to jump early and hit early. Use it after three Crouching Light Punches, jump and Heavy Kick and continue the pressure. Force your opponent to crack with this tool.

With this move Balrog dashes straight forward and throws a mid-level punch. The Dash Straight can be used to end combos, but it has other uses as well. The Light Punch is safe from maximum range (just glove hitting opponent), but do not abuse it. It can also be used to quickly move Balrog forward if you want to close distance to your opponent. The Dash Straight can be cancelled into his Super Combo.

Keep in mind this move does not have armor break.

The strength of the punch button used determines the distance traveled and the attack's damage, with the Light Punch version traveling the shortest distance and doing the least damage.

The EX version travels the same distance as the Heavy Punch version but it also has Hyper Armor, meaning it can absorb a single hit. Because of the Hyper Armor, you can dash through an opponent's single-hit projectile using the Hyper Armor armor to absorb the projectile. The EX version is also safe on hit but only at max range (glove hitting opponent).

You can also FADC the Dash Straight, giving you several options. You can end a block string with Dash Straight, FADC to make that attack safe and then dash in to throw or just continue to apply pressure with a new block string.

DASH UPPER

CHARGE BACK, FORWARD + KICK

With this move Balrog dashes forward and throws a high-level punch. Because the punch is high-level, it will miss against crouching opponents so use with care. The Dash Upper can also be used as an anti-air, but it is not as useful in this regard as it was in past Street Fighter games. You have to know your distances and timing to be effective as an anti-air. It is useful against players trying to jump away from you, especially the EX version.

If you catch the opponent in the air with a Dash Upper, you can follow it up with the Violent Buffalo Ultra 1.

The Light Punch and EX versions are safe if blocked.

You can also use this move to rapidly move Balrog forward if you want to close distance, as it recovers pretty fast. Use Light or Medium Punch versions as appropriate.

If your opponent was crouched when you used this move and wasn't expecting the Dash Upper, you can go for the throw after you whiff the punch.

The strength of the punch button used determines the distance traveled and the attack's damage, with the Light Punch version traveling the shortest distance and doing the least damage.

The EX version of Dash Upper is the most useful considering it leads to Balrog's stun-heavy combos. That said, resist the urge to use the EX version from full screen because the opponent can easily throw you before the move becomes active. It has the properties of the Heavy Punch version and has Hyper Armor. Because of Hyper Armor, you can use this to pass through an opponent's one-hit projectiles (the Hyper Armor absorbs the projectile). It is safe if blocked.

DASH LOW STRAIGHT

CHARGE BACK, DOWN FORWARD + PUNCH

With Dash Low Straight Balrog dashes forward and throws a punch low, resulting in an untechable knockdown if it connects. You can then go into Balrog's wake-up game. Because it hits low, the opponent must block low to guard against this attack.

The strength of the punch button used determines the dash distance and damage with the Light Punch version dashing the shortest distance and doing the least damage.

All versions of Dash Low Straight are unsafe on block!

Mix this up with other Dash Punches such as Dash Swing Blow to create a high-low guessing game with your opponent.

The EX version has the same properties as the Heavy Punch version but also has Hyper Armor, meaning it can absorb a single hit. Because of this, you can Dash Low Straight through an opponent's single-hit projectiles to attack.

DASH LOWER SMASH *ARMOR BREAKING*

CHARGE BACK, DOWN FORWARD + KICK

With Dash Low Smash Balrog dashes forward and throws a powerful punch. This is Balrog's Armor Breaking attack, so if your opponent is using Focus Attacks carelessly you can punish it with this move. If you opponent is regularly using Focus Attacks to counter your other Dash attacks, mixing this in becomes more important as it will give him pause in doing it again.

The strength of the kick button used determines the dash distance and the damage inflicted with the Light Kick version doing the least damage and dashing the shortest distance. The Medium Punch version goes full-screen and does more damage. The Heavy Punch version goes farther than full-screen and does the most damage. Because it goes farther than full-screen, you can use this to catch opponents who are trying to jump back to avoid the attack.

If it connects it sends your opponent flying towards the corner, which is usually where Balrog wants to work his opponent toward as part of his general gameplan. If you hit full screen and the opponent is thrown into the corner you can follow up with Balrog's Super or his Violent Buffalo Ultra 1.

The EX version has the same properties as the Heavy Punch version except that it has Hyper Armor so it can absorb a single hit. This means that, like the rest of Balrog's Dash Punches, you can dash through an opponent's single-hit projectile to attack. It is also the only version of this move which is safe on block.

DASH SWING BLOW *ARMOR BREAKING* *OVERHEAD*

CHARGE BACK, DOWN FORWARD + HOLD PUNCH

With Dash Swing Blow Balrog dashes forward and throws an overhead punch. Because it is an overhead, the opponent must block high. It is also Armor Breaking, so it is another option against opponents who are using Focus Attacks against you.

Dash Swing Blow does not knock down and has a lot of start-up on the punch, which means you cannot use it in a combo. Because of the start-up, players with fast hand-eye coordination have opportunities to react to this attack so if you run into opponents like this try to use it at unexpected times. A skilled opponent can use a move with invincible properties (Shoryuken for example) or can even throw you out of it.

You cannot combo into this attack but you can combo after it. Mix this in with your block strings to try to catch your opponent off guard, especially if he likes to crouch block everything.

The strength of the punch button used determines the dash distance, damage and stun of the attack. The Light Punch version covers the shortest distance and does the least damage and stun.

The EX version has the same properties of the Heavy Punch version but executes a little faster. Like all of Balrog's dash punches, the EX version also has Hyper Armor. This allows it to absorb a single hit, so you can dash through an opponent's single-hit projectile to attack.

BUFFALO HEAD

CHARGE DOWN, UP + PUNCH

With Buffalo Headbutt (Head) Balrog propels himself at roughtly a 45 degree angle off the ground leading with his head. This move has several uses.

It has frames of invincibility, which makes it useful as an anti-air and it can be used against opponents who like to throw projectiles. Against such an opponent not only does the projectile pass harmlessly through Balrog (assuming proper timing), but the Headbutt also moves Balrog forward a small distance.

Balrog will also use this attack a lot as a combo ender, as it is used to launch an opponent into his Super or his Violent Buffalo Ultra 1 if the attack puts him into the corner.

The strength of the Punch button used determines the horizontal distance and the damage inflicted with the Light Punch version propeling him the shortest distance and doing the least damage. All versions are unsafe if blocked and leaves you wide open if you whiff, so only use this move in its proper situations.

It is very important for new Balrog players to get into the habit of executing this move with UP-BACK. By executing this move with UP-BACK, you still maintain your back charge. This is a critical component to executing Headbutt into Super or Ultra 1.

The EX version has the same horizontal distance as the Heavy Punch version but does more damage. It is also invincible during the first frames of the attack. Because of this, you can use the EX version on wake-up in some situations to get the opponent off you.

TURN AROUND PUNCH (TAP) *ARMOR BREAKING*

HOLD THREE PUNCHES OR KICKS

With the Turn Around Punch (commonly abbreviated as TAP), Balrog will turn around and then throw a powerful punch forward.

It is Armor Breaking and has some frames of invincibility at the start of the attack. If properly timed you can TAP through an opponent's projectiles. Against an opponent who likes to chuck projectiles, this is another option Balrog has to get around them and close some distance.

The longer you hold in the punch or kick buttons before releasing the attack, the more damage it will inflict. There are 10 variations of this attack depending on how long you hold the buttons prior to release, with the attack reaching its maximum damage potential at 60 seconds of charge. Sometimes this is referred to as TAP Final or Final TAP. If you manage to land a Final TAP, it will inflict tremendous damage on your opponent. However, charging for this move for a significant amount of time severely restricts your offensive potential in the meantime, which makes this a high risk/high reward move if you keep charging.

You can keep charging and still use other moves from other buttons not being held down. For example, you can keep a charge with the Kick buttons for the TAP while still using all of your Punch buttons to attack normally. In theory you can simultaneously charge two TAPs by holding all Punch and all Kick buttons, but its obvious why this isn't practical.

It is best to use Kick buttons to charge for the TAP because leaving the Punch buttons available still gives you the option to use Buffalo Headbutt. The trick to using TAP is to hold the bottom three kick buttons with the lower part of your hand and curling your fingers to play with the punch buttons. Release the tap by raising the lower part of your hand from the buttons then (arcade stick).

The Level One TAP is safe on block if you hit at maximum distance.

Because the TAP moves Balrog forward as part of the animation, it can also be used to move Balrog forward while still maintaining a charge.

SUPER - CRAZY BUFFALO *ARMOR BREAKING*

CHARGE BACK, TOWARDS, BACK, TOWARDS + PUNCH

Balrog has one of the more useful Supers in the game, and makes him a serious threat with a full bar locked and loaded. You can cancel into the super from Dash Straight, making it easy to hit confirm. It is also commonly used after a successful Buffalo Headbutt or Turn Around Punch.

It is invincible for several frames at the start of the animation, so as such it can be used to go through projectile attacks on startup and will hit the opponent before they can recover from around mid-range.

The Super is not safe on block, but if the opponent is close to being knocked out it can be used to chip them out, as it does good chip damage. As is the case with Balrog's Ultra 1, it can also be used to run out the clock if the round is down to its last seconds and you still have the lead.

ULTRA 1 - VIOLENT BUFFALO *ARMOR BREAKING*

CHARGE BACK, TOWARDS, BACK, TOWARDS + THREE PUNCHES

Balrog's Violent Buffalo is a big damage Ultra that has most of the characteristics of his Crazy Buffalo Super. Because of its usefulness, it is the preferred Ultra choice for most Balrog players.

It too is invincible at the beginning, meaning you can pass through projectiles at startup and can punish the opponent before he can recover from around mid-range. It too can be used after a Buffalo Headbutt that was used as an anti-air or at the end of a combo. It is unsafe on block, so don't just throw this out unless you want to chip out your opponent or run out the last few seconds of the clock.

There are multiple variations of this Ultra depending on whether you hold all three punches or all three kick buttons. All three punch buttons execute straight punches while all three kick buttons execute uppercuts. The following can be used as a general guide for the sequence:

ULTRA 2 - DIRTY BULL

720 + THREE PUNCHES

Dirty Bull is a grab type Ultra that does little damage but big stun when it hits. It does 300 damage but a whopping 700 stun. However, the opponent can simply jump out of the way as soon as the screen flashes into its Ultra animation, making it very easy to evade. Dirty Bull is best used when an opponent is in the middle of an animation (and thus cannot move or jump out of the way) or after a successful Focus Attack crumple stun. If used after such a Focus Attack, the stun is reduced slightly to 690.

Any scissor kick that isn't light kick can be punished with a crouching light punch and therefore a combo.

Using TAP twice can sometimes hit a Dictator who is too happy to retaliate with scissor kick. To do this trick, hold down all the buttons with your entire hand. Release the top half of your hand (the punch buttons) to do the first TAP, then release the lower half of your hand (the kick buttons) to do the second TAP.

If Bison does wake up teleport on you, bait it my jumping in on his wakeup and then release TAP when he teleports.

If a Bison is abusing devil's reverse to build meter, tag him with an ex upper at the right time.

If you have the lead, turtle. This matchup requires momentum, so don't force it. If you dash straight in with anything, Bison's easiest answer is to ex psycho crucher you. Do not charge in on him, but walk him into the corner and get a lead. Once he regains momentum, sit back and wait for another opportunity to take the flow.

Ex headbutt loses to Blanka's electricity. Don't bother using it. Instead, if you expect a Blanka to use electricity, step back and sweep him.

Blanka's electricity takes time to startup. On his wakeup, jab him to prevent his electricity, then throw him.

If you block Blanka's ultra, you can retaliate with your entire ultra (on the ground). The timing is strict however, and if you feel you can't do it, just do the ultra and juggle him in the air.

vs. Abel

Abel lacks a consistent anti-air. Feel free to pressure him from the air and mix it up with tick throws.

If you expect Abel to do a tick throw, hold up and when he whiffs the throw, come down with a neutral jumping fierce, crouching medium punch to dash punch or any variation of a combo from jumping fierce.

On Abel's wakeup, mix it up with throws (to beat his roll), jumps (to beat his throw), and jabs (in case he blocks) to gain the upperhand.

vs. Ryu

Never use an ex dash punch from across the screen. Good Ryus are looking for this and will punish hard. The same goes with using TAP. Use either an ex dash punch or TAP when you expect a fireball from about mid screen.

Dash back on wakeup to bait a shoryuken and sweep.

Balrog's jumping fierce has good range. If you predict a fireball, sometimes you can tag Ryu with it and combo from there or sweep with crouching roundhouse.

If the Ryu player is buffering his crouching medium kick into shoryuken (he's doing this, so if you dash punch, the buffered medium kick will automatically link to a shoryuken and break your armor), then space your dash punch so you hit him after he whiffs or before.

vs. Ken

Ken has slower recovery on his fireball, so predict when he does a fireball and jump fierce as a way to get in.

Ken's forward medium kick can be punished by a properly spaced crouching roundhouse.

Ken's crouching medium kick can be beaten by standing roundhouse.

vs. Chun Li

When Chun Li is blocking your block strings, be careful of mixing it up with ex swing blow. Any mixup with a dash punch that gives space can be countered by Chun Li's ex lightning legs.

The best strategy against Chun Li, is a careful one that puts her slowly into the corner. Her fireball can't zone as well as Ryu's, so a walk and block strategy is best. Once Chun Li is in the corner, a lot of her spacing tricks and baits are gone.

If you knock Chun Li down, ocassionally jump in and do nothing. Time it so you bait an ex spinning bird kick and block it. Retaliate with a sweep.

vs. Dhalsim

Getting in on Dhalsim requires a combination of knowing when to use ex dash punches, using ex headbutt after a TAP, good air spacing, and strong corner control.

Once you get Dhalsim in the corner, do your best never to let him out. If he teleports behind you, be ready to retaliate with a headbutt, standing light punch (if you barely saw it), or a crouching fierce.

The most important part in this matchup is knowing how to stick to Dhalsim. Once you knock him down, never let Dhalsim go anywhere but back into the corner.

vs. Zangief

Use dash punches sparingly. In fact, avoid using them at all. This matchup has evolved into a match where Balrog players test their knowledge of their normal game.

Standing light punch, jump back fierce, crouching fierce, crouching roundhouse (Balrog extends his hit box when he throws this out, so be properly space, or you will get hit by the lariat), and jumping roundhouse are all normal moves that beat lariat as well as space well against Zangief. Crouching roundhouse, however, is the main tool that keeps Zangief away.

If a Zangief is spamming lariat to gain meter, don't dash punch. Walk up slowly and space yourself so a jumping fierce will hit him if he tries again. You can, however, use ex dash upper to beat his lariat and combo into an ultra if you'd like (ex dash punch, cr. lp, cr. lk, headbutt, ultra).

Fight for your ground. If either character gets into the corner, the character outside of the corner gains a huge advantage. However, if you feel pressured and have enough space behind you, feel free to jump back and fierce. It beats Gief's ex greenhand attempts and most jump attacks.

Generally, the match goes in favor of the one who turtles because standing light punch is such a good spacing tool against Balrog's own moves.

Finding out when to move from "standard" Balrog play to unorthodox play is what will win you the match.

Unorthodox play includes using an ex heabutt after TAP, whiffing swing blow on wakeup and throwing, meaty crouching medium kick to beat headbutt, and etcetera.

vs. Rose

Against Rose, knock her down and always continue the pressure. She has no reliable anti-air, so fill free to jump in as long as she doesn't have ultra meter.

Rose can, however, retaliate on wakeup with ex soup spiral (it gives her invincibility frames). This is up to your judgement if the Rose you play is the type to use it on wakeup.

If Rose has ultra meter and you knocked her down, just use meaty crouching light punches. They recover fast enough that if she does ultra on wakeup, it won't hit you.

If you are at the end of the screen and Rose is playing keep away, don't rush in, especially if she has ultra meter. Just walk her into the corner.

vs. C. Viper

Against Viper, do your best to take momentum away from her. If you feel pressured or confused about a possible crossup flame kick, just ex upper away.

Against Viper, crouching light punch is your best weapon. Because it can be blocked standing, it's considered a high move. Thus, flame kick gets stuffed by it and takes away one of her options on wakeup.

Try to time your ex dash punches so they go through her flame kicks or projectiles and hit her.

Her projectiles whiff if you use a TAP, so if the Viper is "machine-gunning" her projectiles, hold onto TAP, right after you block it and let go when you think she's going to do it again.

Headbutts do not go through her projectiles because they are considered low attacks.

vs. El Fuerte

To avoid his running mixup (on your wakeup), use ex dash punches to get away from splash (and possible punish them) or TAP. You can also dash back or jump straight up.

Bait El Fuerte's ultra on wakeup by using crouching light punch. In fact, use it on all of his wakeups to continue the pressure.

Use jump back fierce as a spacing tool if you are worried about his dash shenaningans.

His slide is positive on block, so if you block the slide, don't do anything. Normally, El Fuerte will hit you with a jab after it for score a counter hit and then combo or use it as a tick throw. More often than not, they go for the tick throw, so be prepared to tech.

vs. Akuma

Akuma is a good keep away character, and any good Akuma player will use his fireballs as baits. Walk to Akuma and don't fall for his baits. Use ex punches for his air fireballs if you KNOW they will hit.

TAP is a double-edged sword in this matchup. It allows Balrog to get in, but TAP is the easiest tool to bait against for Akuma. Try not to use this when Akuma has meter. If he doesn't have meter, he can also bait it with a tornado kick. Walk Akuma to the corner and stay just a little behind the timer, so if he teleports out, you get a free sweep or headbutt.

Play against Akuma like a shoto, but be sure to drastically turtle if he has ultra meter and you are at the end of the screen.

vs. Rufus

Always rushdown a Rufus with no meter for ex messiah kick. If Rufus does have ex messiah kick, choose your attacks wisely.

On Rufus's ex messiah kick follow up, use ex headbutt (has to be timed well) to beat his follow up options. This will beat his overheard kick and sweep. If he does the flip kick ender, just throw him or combo from a crouching light punch.

If a Rufus is dive kick happy and you are being pressured by it, use ex upper to get away.

Spacing is key. A combination of crouching fierce and jump back fierce will give Rufus a hard time against you. Sparingly use crouching roundhouse because it whiffs on dive kicks.

vs. Sagat

Sagat's standing roundhouse will beat your ex dash punches. Thus, do not use them unless they will go through a fireball and hit Sagat immediately.

vs. Vega

Vega's walldive attacks can be avoided by the use of TAP. If you are unsure if you might get grabbed, just use TAP. Otherwise, focus attack and absorb the blow, then dash and start a combo.

Vega's backflip can be beaten easily by TAP or dash punch. Just use it to close the distance and throw him or hit him with a combo.

Vega has really good poking tools to stop you from many tick throws. If you want to tick throw Vega, use it after one crouching light punch or throw him after you do a jumping fierce or jumping light punch.

The ideal strategy here is to stick to Vega so he won't have room to use his ultra. Vega also has no reliable anti-airs, so this job should be relatively easy.

If Vega has ultra, don't let him bait you with his ultra. Walk to him and hit him.

vs. E. Honda

Honda's headbutt can be punished by a (light punch version) dash punch.

Because Balrog has a low jump, most jump attacks will get easily punished by Honda's ex headbutt. Your job is to bait these headbutts and make him waste meter. Once he wastes his meter, go all out, get a lead, then turtle.

Honda's forte is his turtling. Use a lot of tick throws to mess with a Honda and open him up to further pressure.

Your throw is faster than Honda's oichio, so don't worry about relation from it if you are going for a tick throw.

If Honda uses his Sumo Smash too often, just dash back and sweep him. If you block the Sumo Smash and are unsure if he hit it at the right angle to be safe, just jab and then throw him.

vs. Guile

This is matchup is all about pressuring Guile into the corner.

You can focus attack and absorb the first part of his sweep, dash in and throw him. This takes some practice, but it's a useful tool to shut down Guile's options.

Walk and block Guile into the corner. The chip damage from his sonic booms are very little. If you want to close the distance, it's okay to use a ex dash punch (straight, because it's the fastest that can't whiff) and continue pressure from there.

Guile's hitbox is strange, so dash swing blow to any combo that leads to a headbutt will whiff unless on counter hit.

vs. Cammy

Cammy has a hard time against characters that can turtle well. Use this against her.

For the most part, choose your attacks wisely when going against a Cammy who pressures you heavily with cannon spike. Let her whiff the move and punish appropriately.

Depending on the height of a cannon drill, Cammy will have a 50/50 option against Balrog. If the Cammy has meter, she will usually go for a cannon spike, so just block. Otherwise, take the throw. Her cannon spike hurts far more than a throw. She will open herself up in her attempts to get in on you.

Balrog has superior footsies against Cammy. Utilize his ground game well to keep Cammy pressured. Moves like crouching fierce, crouching roundhouse, standing light punch, and crouching light punch are good tools.

vs. Feilong

Feilong's rekkas are safe on block from certain distances, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't retaliate with a dash punch. Sometimes, you will catch Feilong's off guard with this.

Balrog's normal moves are great against Feilong. If you close the distance where you are in a battle that's closer than mid range, than feel free to use Balrog's normals all day.

If Balrog is from mid range, it's usually better to wait for the Feilong player to do something and then retaliate with a dash punch to close distance and continue pressure.

Feilong's rekkukyaku (aka the chicken wing) can cross Balrog up. It is safe at certain distances.

vs. Gouken

Gouken is a big target and thus jump attacks become easier to land. If a Gouken is using parries as his main way to counter your jump attacks, just whiff an attack in the air and throw him or empty jump and throw him.

If you knock Gouken down, stay on top of him. His lack of a shoryuken and his size make him easy to pressure.

Once Gouken gains meter, watch out for tick throws. They will leads in to his ultra.

vs. Sakura

Sakura does not have a reliable anti-air. Feel free to jump and attack her on wakeup all day.

Sakura's standing roundhouse and crouching roundhouse are slow, so as long as you are the one attacking first you will usually stuff her attacks.

Sakura's ultra hits low, so a regular headbutt will not stuff it.

Sakura's fireball isn't a really good spacing tool, and without a reliable anti-air jump attacks are a good option.

vs. Gen

Out pressure Gen with superior pokes.

Gen has a deep cross up and low jump, so although headbutt is risky, crouching fierce is still useable.

You can focus attack, dash and throw Gen's sweep.

Gen has low a damage output, so stay calm and take momentum when you have it. Otherwise, calm down.

vs. Seth

Seth's main weakness is his lack of health and damage.

Seth can keep Balrog away with standing fierce, jump back fierce, and sonic booms. In a sense, gaining distance on Seth is difficult, and most of your distance gaining will come from slow walking and blocking, or predicting a move and countering with a ex dash punch or ex headbutt.

In a sense, treat Seth like Dhalsim except with better normals and worse HP. Patience, however, is more important than against Dhalsim in this matchup.

Ideally, you want to gain a lead and turtle really hard once Seth gains meter. His sonic boom chip is weak, so keep avoiding them and kill time.